Updates, webinars, events, opportunities to get involved, resources, and research to support Thompson Okanagan tourism professionals.
Midnight Musings from the TOTA Team
Hi there,
This week, TOTA Board Chair and Big White Ski Resort Senior Vice President Michael J Ballingall was awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin as a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70th anniversary of accession to the throne and the long relationship between Canada and the Crown, as well as a Local Recognition of Outstanding Service Medallion.
The award, presented by Minister of Parliament Tracey Gray, recognizes individuals in the Kelowna-Lake Country area who have made a significant contribution to their community.
Please join us in congratulating Michael on receiving this tremendous honour.
We also note that our thoughts are with the Royal Family as they gather at Balmoral Castle as we learn of the Queen's passing.
- The TOTA Team
Newsletter Contents
Health & Safety Updates
TOTA News
News Highlights
Upcoming Dates
Get Involved
Resource Roundup
Health & Safety Updates
TOTA's Crisis Management Coordinator works with with Emergency Management BC to monitor events in the Thompson Okanagan region and support impacted communities, tourism businesses, Indigenous partners, and other parties.
Events that impact multiple Thompson Okanagan communities for an extended period of time will be shared in this section of the newsletter.
For the full, up to date list of current advisories, orders, alerts, and rescinds in BC, visit EmergencyInfoBC.gov.bc.ca.
Smoke impacts continue due to local wildfires as well as those in Washington and Idaho. Strong winds may cause changes in wildfire behaviour, though may also help clear smoky conditions.
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is hosting the 2022 Thompson Okanagan Tourism Summit on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 in Kamloops, BC at the Thompson Rivers University Campus.
Tourism stakeholders are invited to come together as a tourism community to learn from everything we've been through and think differently about how we can co-create a more vibrant and resilient tourism industry in BC.
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Summit will include the opportunity to:
Attend thought-provoking workshops and panels
Learn from tourism leaders
Gain insights into the latest developments in destination management, access and inclusion, Indigenous tourism, and regenerative practices
Network with industry leaders, colleagues, and partners
Bid on unique experiences and products through a silent auction
Registration will be announced shortly through an email announcement.
Electronic voting for the TOTA Board Election is now available and will remain open until September 14 at 4:30 PM.
Voting stakeholders received an email invite on August 30 from TOTA through Election Runner ([email protected]) with a link and instructions to vote for the board of directors.
There are a total of 14 board candidates for the 11 open positions. Each individual would be a tremendous asset to the TOTA board.
This year's TOTA Golf Tournament will be hosted at the Black Mountain Golf Club on Thursday, October 13, 2022, from 12 PM PT with a full day of food, drink, and fun. Registration is now open and TOTA is seeking additional sponsors and silent auction donations to raise funds for the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Student Bursary Program.
Employees working entirely or partly remote has new challenges for the workplace. There are important HR, mental health, health and safety, and legal responsibilities and impacts to consider.
In this webinar recording, go2HR shares practical information and tips for BC tourism employers, managers, supervisors, and business owners.
Following a consultation request from government on a Canadian Tourism Growth Strategy, industry advocates across Canada have submitted their recommendations.
Destination Canada’s Senior Vice-President, Destination Development, Gracen Chungath, spoke with Canadian Geographic about a regenerative approach to tourism and destination stewardship. The article explores how these two themes can be put into practice across Canada. Adopting regenerative tourism principles means flipping from focusing solely on the visitor, to focusing on the needs of the local community. Once the community knows what they aspire to do, the next step is to determine how tourism can be used to help reach those goals.
The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) has officially launched The Original Original Accreditation program that identifies market-ready Indigenous tourism experiences which are truly authentic offering high quality and high value to visitors.
The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada released their Annual Update video outlining how they have supported Indigenous tourism businesses throughout the past year and have made great progress towards recovery.
The story of British Columbia’s modern wine industry—albeit remarkable in terms of its rapid growth and success—is usually portrayed as one of risk-taking, combined with an abundance of unbridled optimism. Yet, often missing from the narrative of 40 or 50 years ago are the very real hardships endured by immigrants who worked in the orchards and vineyards of their adopted homeland.
Tourism Valemount welcomes Marcie Down as Executive Director. Marcie is from the rural community of Cache Creek, BC where she was the Executive Director for Gold Country Communities Society, a non-profit destination marketing organization that promotes tourism and economic development to the BC Interior.
Passing of Big White Ski Resort's Former President, Peter Robert Schumann
The Plimmer/Schumann family announced the passing of Peter Robert Schumann, who died suddenly Friday, August 26,2022 at his home at Big White Ski Resort. His father was Desmond Schumann, the man who purchased Big White back in 1985. Peter retired from being Big White’s president in 2014.
Taking action to reduce your tourism operations carbon footprint is a tremendous opportunity to decrease costs, engage your team, and build your brand as a responsible tourism provider. Measuring your carbon footprint for small and mid-sized businesses is easy with the EcoBase software and guidance from GreenStep.
The MTB Tourism Symposium is a gathering of creative minds with a vested interest in advancing the future of mountain bike tourism and recreation in British Columbia.
Skift Global Forum 2022 — the flagship global conference on the business of travel — is returning this September as a full scale in-person event in New York City and broadcast online globally.
Proceeds will go to the OKIB to assist with building the nḱmaplqs iÊ” snḿaḿ áy aÊ”tn iÊ” ḱl sqilxÊ·tÉ™t ‘head of the lake where our children go learn our Indigenous ways’ – New Cultural Immersion School.
If you are interested in learning more about exclusive sponsorship opportunities, and/or would like to donate to the new school project, contact Tetku Marchand at 250-540-1872 or [email protected].
SEE2022 brings together the world's brightest, most forward-thinking travel & tourism marketers to keep you ahead of the trends in the ever-changing world of travel. Connect with global travel & tourism marketers in conversations focused on responsible travel, building a diverse and inclusive place brand, collaborating with local creators, and future trends to attract travelers to your destination at this hybrid in person and virtual event.
World Tourism Day will be celebrated as the shift towards tourism is being recognized as a crucial pillar for development and as progress is well underway. Tourism’s International Observance Day will put people at the center of key discussions. Where is tourism going? Where do we want to go? And how do we get there?
The North America Meaningful Travel Summit is an event connecting industry professionals with local changemakers in places around North America. The goal is to learn from one another, infuse more sustainability into the businesses with the knowledge gained, and to volunteer in and with the local community.
ITBC invites Indigenous experts in various fields to register in their database that they will share with Indigenous tourism businesses, communities, organizations, and entrepreneurs. ITBC hopes these new connections will inspire businesses to work together to enhance and strengthen the Indigenous tourism industry.
The Ministry of Labour is inviting you to participate in a survey on how workplaces and businesses can commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30th) each year, including whether BC should establish a new employer-paid statutory holiday starting in 2023.
The Thompson Rivers University Job Fair is one of the largest job fairs in British Columbia and is the ideal platform for sharing information about job opportunities and connecting with thousands of talented and passionate students and new graduates.
This hybrid event makes the best of both worlds with one virtual event on Wednesday, Feb. 1 and an in-person gathering on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Destination BC has partnered with Small Business BC to provide tourism stakeholders across the province with free access to Small Business BC’s Advisory Services and Education Offerings. Services are delivered online, by phone, email, webinar or in person.
Registration for the October intakes of the Tourism Digital Academy, now with learning modules that combine self-directed and live interactive sessions, is now open.
It is a free, eight-week digital marketing program for BC tourism businesses seeking to elevate their knowledge and skills in digital marketing to an intermediate level.
While recycling, saving water, and reducing electricity are among the many important steps toward being sustainable, are you aware of the impact food waste has on the climate crisis? Ben Liegey is on a mission to expand our collective understanding of food waste prevention and help hospitality operators improve their bottom line in the process.
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